I Am a Half Breed
by turtlequeen2
Summary: This is a four shot about Inuyasha's coming of age through his own eyes. Witness his childhood past, his mother's death, and Sesshoumaru's ridiculing that caused him to grow into the man we all now know him to be. Warning: There is much angst involved.
1. Part 1: The Early Years

**Disclaimer:**

Turtlequeen2: I'm here with another one people! Since people seemed to like my _Half-Breed_ poem, I decided to write this "two-shot" to accompany it. This is Inuyasha's life through his own eyes. Parts of this comes from references in the anime and manga, but most things explained here came from my own mind. Hope it sounds authentic enough!

I do not own Inuyasha. Only Rumiko Takahashi and other respected companies own Inuyasha.

I give thanks to Inu Youkai Wanna Be for helping me finish out this part of the story!

Warning: There is plenty of angst in this fic!

**

* * *

I Am a Half-Breed **

**Part One:**

I am Inuyasha. I am a half-breed. A hanyou. A creature that isn't human, yet is not worthy enough to be called youkai neither. I was born of a powerful youkai father and a powerful hime mother. Born into a time of war and angst. A time with so much of pain of its own. Did I really need to be included in this fraudulent time?

As a child, I remembered only pain. Only sadness that followed me like a storm. _A half-breed_. This life I had was something not to cherish. How often I wished that I wasn't born at all. None of the other villagers or subjects of my mother's wanted to play games with me. They thought that I was barbaric. A monster to be feared and hated. And thus, I was dubbed so. A monster; a half-demon/half-human hybrid.

I was made fun of. From my grotesque dog-like ears, to my claws, fangs, silver-snowy hair, and unnatural golden eyes like the sun. Nevertheless, I remained strong, even when their words got to me. My mother's soothing words were the only things to comfort me. The bastards were only humans and often times I thought to just kill them all. Then I would be feared and powerful. But I couldn't do it. My human half; a side I hated at the time, prevented me from doing it. As my brother would've said, my weak emotions stopped me from becoming enwrapped in revenge against the so-called worthless human race. Save for my mother, I disliked humans with a vengeance.

Damn my old man! Why did he have to die, leaving me and my mother at her family's merciless treatment! Please note that I said _her_ family. I would never in a million years consider them _my _family. I'd rather have Naraku kill me, or better yet, Sesshoumaru, than have to call those cruel bastards _family. _As far as I'm concerned, if they all died, I'd laugh, standing over their graves. Perhaps they already died, seeing as they are humans after all.

I bet you're wondering what they've done to make me hate them so much, huh? I thought so. Mother was not recognized as a princess even though she held a powerful position in the royal court. All because she fell in love with my father. An all-powerful inuyoukai.

But them, _them **bastards** _waited. WAITED until he was out of the picture to start torturing her. At first it was ridiculing her for such "stupid" choices, to me; their own blood. But then again, I wasn't good enough to be considered blood related to anyone. I was too monstrous to be considered human and too lowly to be considered relatives to the "great" Sesshoumaru or Inu-Taishou.

As my brother had bluntly put it many times through my life; I was tainted. And he said that I deserved all that I got. Well congratulations Sesshoumaru! You got your wish to come true, didn't ya, you bastard!

Then they continued to get more aggressive. They often beat me to where I couldn't fight back or even move for days. They often brought my mother to tears as they made her watch as they tortured me and told her that I wasn't even worth tears to shed over. They told her that I should just be left to die so she could have a normal life and forget about me. Curse my acute hearing because I heard every cruel, devilish word they uttered. And I _knew_ they were talking about me.

I grew used to the daily torturing. My mother only gave petty promises to always be there for me. I knew that it was the only thing she could do. She couldn't fight back and if she did, she would've been killed by them. That's how heartless _her _family was. She also promised me that she would stay alive as long as she could to raise me and protect me from the ill of the world. And not going against her family was the only way. Without my father there, she could do nothing, being only an innocent village princess.

I believed her and loved her with my whole being. I knew that she meant well and despite all of the bad things, she was the only light in my life. I often remembered her non-stopping tears for me. For the pity that had became my life. She soothed me and held me tight as my world crashed around me. I never wanted to let go of her embrace. My mother was my savoir and without her I would've already given up on life.

I still remember the first time I ever heard the word "half-breed." I was playing Kemari by myself with a new ball my mother got me for my birthday. I remembered it to be a happy moment as she gave me the toy. It was one of my firsts.

I knew to stay clear of the villagers for they only spat cruel remarks about me and attempted to beat me out of fear of what I was. However, that night, I seen the young ladies and lords standing there about the palace gates and my curiosity got the better of me. I walked up to them and they instantly upturned their noses at me; a look that I was used to by now. My ears drooped, but still I persisted, making myself smile a bit, hoping for a miracle. Sadly, it didn't come.

Instead, they stole the ball from me. At first I thought they were willing to play a game with me, but my smile faded drastically as they kept kicking the ball further and further from me. Finally the ball flew out from their grasps and rolled across the small bridge in front of the garden. I ran to get it, only to turn my back and find that I was utterly alone once again.

"We do not want anything to do with a _half-breed,_" came their dastardly response. I heard their cruel fits of laughter as they escaped my sight. I finally caught up with the ball and saw my mother standing there at the other end of the bridge. I remember the moment perfectly, as if it happened only yesterday. Her countenance was something I saw often. A calm, cool face. So sad, yet gentle and welcoming at the same time. Being the little whelp that I was, I knew not the impact of the words I was about to utter to her.

Dropping the ball, the expression on my face was that of concern and confusion. I ran up to her, no longer caring about anything else around me.

So were the cursed words I said," Mama, what's a half-breed?"

_

* * *

A half-breed. A weak hanyou. A disgrace to ever walk the Earth. Lowly scum. A filthy youkai. An inferior creature. _

* * *

This phrase," half-breed" was only the first of many names I would receive in my lifetime. The look on my mother's face was that of a moment's shock, but then soon evolved into that of everlasting grief. Before I could say more, she immediately got down on her knees in her elaborate kimono to embrace me tightly. At first I was scared, but at the time, I only knew to return the hug. I smelt her tears and slightly leaned back to see her face. The drops flowed her face like hypnotizing rain. She appeared beautiful even in tears. Under the pale moonlight, they glowed like shimmering crystals. How I longed to make her smile at the moment more than ever. 

She apologized, but I didn't know for what at the moment. Eventually over time, I began to understand what the term meant. Someone or some_thing_ that was only half of a species. This was looked down upon with disgust and fright. Humans knew I was more powerful than them, yet youkai knew I was weaker than them. At the time at least…

From what I gathered, I was a half-breed. A sin against nature. A creature that should never even exist. A mistake. But as my mother explained to me, I was brought into the world as a choice. That I _was _wanted. Still, what was I to think? I was only a child! It was hard hearing all of this talk about me and what I was. As much as I tried and wanted to believe Mother, I found it arduous.

I witnessed the many hurdles in her life because of me. It was because of me that she was looked down upon. That she was disowned and scorned upon. She was known as a youkai whore as far as they were concerned. She was spat at and people looked her straight in the eye as a form of disrespect (or not in the eyes at all to show that she was not even worthy of a glance). The child that she gave birth to was a sin, therefore making her a sinner as well. I had trouble taking this all in. In time however, as I grew older and understood more, my heart began to grow darker and colder.

At the time, I thought of how better her life would have been without me or my father for that matter. I saw the many ladies that laughed with joy, putting on white paint as they enjoyed themselves. They were _happy._ This was an emotion that I rarely experienced, so I didn't understand it that well. All I knew was that my mother was in pain because of me, no matter how well she tried to hide it.

* * *

Every night I stood by and watched my mother slowly die. Many thought her to succumb to only illness. Oh, were they wrong! Those beings (I refuse to call them even human) were the ones who killed her. Them, and her love for my father. They killed her with their cruelty and neglect. I could tell that she loved him deeply. From her sighs every time I mentioned him; to her constant tears at night. After hearing her sobs one night after mentioning him (asking where he was and if I did have a father), I never spoke of my father again. Well at least not until after she died anyways... 

The night she died is one night I will never forget. Her face was like a pale stone. So cold, yet so lonely and sad. She spoke to me with such tenderness, telling me that she wished me well. That she was sorry she couldn't keep her promise. I smelled death illuminating from her like a fog. Though I knew that she was close to death, I refused to give up so easily. My eyes glowed with a fierceness as my clawed hands gripped hers in turn. Her grip was beginning to loosen.

I pleaded with her not to go. She only smiled with a gentleness and tried to sooth my worries. For once in my life, even her soft words couldn't squelch my fear of loosing her. I tried to make false promises, saying that I would find a cure for her illness. She gave a small smile, stating that it was futile. For the first time in my life, I felt my eyes water.

My silver bangs covered my downcast eyes as I trembled. Her last words were that of , "I love you my little one. I'm sorry for not being able to keep my promise. But as long as there are Sakura blossoms blooming, my soul will always be with you." After that, her hand turned cold as ice as her breath stilled. I called out her name, still thinking that she was alive.

The tears streamed down my cheeks in anger and sadness. "Mother!" I shouted. The anger because of the promise she broke to me. Sadness because I knew that I was completely alone now. My golden eyes watered like a lake at sunset. "You promised!" I screamed in desperation. Hoping, wishing that she would come back to life and embrace me in her loving arms. Alas, it was not so, as the smell of death only increased.

I beat my fists through the paper-thin floor in anger as the tears continued to flow. I suddenly tensed up, noticing my mistake. Soldiers and other personnel barged in, with evident fury showing on their faces.

"Izayoi-sama!" they shouted in mocked shock. They then turned to me, yelling," Hanyou! What have you done to our lady?"

My eyes opened wide in shock. How could they accuse me of something so heinous? Didn't they see me around her everyday? Clinging onto her for dear life? To protect myself from _them_; the same people before me now? Those hypocritical bastards!

However, they must have only seen me as the monster they were raised to only recognize me as. _A sinful half-breed. _"Answer me! What did you do!" one man demanded, kicking me into a wall, while my guard was lowered from the surprise.

My tears did not cease, but my anger rose. My eyes narrowed and I let out a small growl as I got back up. "I didn't kill her," I ground out. "You did!" I whispered in a deadly tone.

"What nonsense are you mumbling about, you monster! You killed her yourself! Don't lie to us!" the men shouted again as they brandished their swords. "We will send you back to hell where you belong!"

At that moment, I felt unbelievable anger surge through me. Something I never felt before in my life. As one of the men made a jump for me, I quickly got out of their way. Being chased by many creatures-- human and youkai alike--tended to make you able to move fast.

"SANKON TESSOU!" I shouted, making a modest slice through the man's armor. I watched in horror and shock as a light came from my claws and cut him in various places with frightening speed. That was the first time I discovered the Soul-shattering claw attack. I witnessed the blood spurt up from his wounds as he grimaced with pain. I felt my claws get soaked by the man's crimson liquid. I nearly gagged at the scent, but knew that it was the hardly the time to get sick.

The irony of it all. The attack I use so often to kill youkai, was first used on a weak human. However, it wasn't enough to kill him; more like giving him a near-death experience. It still managed to scare the shit out of the men as they rushed to the aid of their comrade.

"You horrid youkai!" one of them shouted, starting to get up. I smirked at their pain, reveling in the fact that I could actually fight back. As I cast a look at my mother's body, my eyes grew sad again. As much as I hated it, I had to escape the area and leave her behind. It was either that or be killed myself. And at that moment, I felt Mother's presence near me, as if urging me to run. I didn't hesitate at the chance.

I bounded off towards the forest bordering the village, that being my only escape route. My only possessions were the clothes on my back and the simple make-up rouge I kept to remember her by. I kept running, never stopping, even after I knew that I stopped being chased. At that moment, I only concentrated to get as far away from the village as possible.

After nearly three hours, I began to slow down. I stopped a river and ran towards it, eager to rid myself of the stench of human blood. As I peered down into the water, I cringed at the sight. I didn't even recognize myself. I looked like the monster that I felt like.

My ears were drooped against my skull. My eyes stared back at me with no life left within them. My hair was wild and untamed. There were stray crimson stains dried on my face and clothes though it was hardly noticeable on my already red outfit. I then stared down at my claws. They were smeared in that man's blood. The stench was unbearable. I was even more repulsed that I actually enjoyed the fact that I made the man feel pain. Sure, at the time, it felt right, but as I looked back at myself, my human-like heart began to make me feel guilty that I did such a deed.

Hard to believe isn't it? Now I can kill many youkai with ease, but then, I cringed at the sight of a mere human man's blood. The stench made me dizzy, making me drop to all fours as I emptied the contents of my stomach onto the grass beside me. What a mess I was...

"Oh look at the poor hanyou. Can't even handle injuring a little human man…" came a taunting, maniacal voice.

I suddenly stiffened up and looked around for any sign of youkai. I used my sleeve to wipe the back of my mouth. I smelt the strange scent even over the blood and vomit. I was vulnerable to be killed by anyone or anything for that matter.

"You're lonely aren't you boy?" the voice came again.

I only narrowed my eyes and let out a small growl.

I could practically hear the smirk in his voice as he replied," Don't worry hanyou. I'll make sure that you won't feel alone anymore…"

My ears tweaked up in worry. What the hell was I supposed to do? I was tired and defenseless. I didn't even know how to use the "Sankon Tessou" at will.

There was an eerie silence in the clearing until I saw the ogre show itself. He made a quick stride towards me and gripped me up by my collar. "…You won't have to feel alone anymore because you'll be surrounded by the many other victims that are already in my stomach!" it laughed cruelly.

Usually, I would've just found a way to run, seeing that I was only a child at the time, but at that moment, I felt the rage within me, grow larger. My claws extended and my growl intensified. The ogre only laughed, imagining that I was frail. It seemed as if the anger within me was begging me to kill in order to relieve the tension.

"What's the matter _hanyou_? Afraid of dying? I'm surprised that you lived this long considering how weak you appear to be," the creature sneered.

_

* * *

Weak. _

* * *

That was the term used to describe me and all hanyous. I was used to the term by now, but every time the word was uttered, it seemed as if the familiar wound in my soul reopened itself. 

Luckily the baka youkai forgot to hold my arms down. I was surprised at how much strength I could suffice from my rage alone. I brought my claws up, slashing the arms clear off its shoulders. "Don't fuck with me today!" I yelled, dropping the arms I help in my grasp to the ground. Blood was seeping from the wounds and the ogre growled out many curses at me. It was not as if I cared at the moment anyways...

"You bastard!" it cursed, falling to the ground dead. It had lost too much blood. The creature turned into ashes, only to be carried away by the wind.

I looked to where the body once laid. I looked down at myself. I couldn't believe that I actually killed that demon on my own. The feeling gave me empowerment. However, it also gave me fear.

Fear of more approaching youkai that would advance towards me because I was hanyou and alone. They would want to kill me for food or something of the sort. It was then that I decided that because I was solitary, that I alone, must provide for myself. I had to fight. I had to get stronger.

Now I also knew that I had to avoid fights as best as I could at the moment. To prevent more attacks during the night, I rushed to the river banks to wash my clothes and myself of the scent of the blood.

I sucked in my urge to get sick again as the crimson flowed down the water.

It was only the beginning of the most agonizing years of my life.

**

* * *

10 Years Later **

* * *

"SANKON TESSOU!" I shouted, unleashing my torrent of yellow claw blades. They easily sliced through the bastard lizard youkai who tried to kill me in an attempt to make me lunch. Keh! Like I'd let that happen without a fight! 

The youkai fell over dead, but its friends came in, shrieking behind the corpse.

"You bastard hanyou!" a snake youkai hissed, bounding towards me. I dodged the attack with ease, but the hawk youkai behind me, nailed its talons into my side. I grimaced for a few seconds but quickly composed myself, clutching my wound.

I dug my claws into the cut and let the crimson seep into my preferred weapons. I smirked as I jumped into the air and flung my blood-dripping wrist into the air with the yell of," HIJIN KESSOU!" The red blades erupted from my claws and sliced through the youkai with excellent precision.

"Keh! Serves ya right for calling me a hanyou!" I yelled triumphantly. I landed and took a deep, ragged breath from overusing my energy. I may have finally mastered "Sankon Tessou" but I was no where near perfect with "Hijin Kessou." I only used the attack in desperate situations.

I turned my back from the death site and began my trek towards more suitable grounds to rest at. However, the next thing that happened made my blood run cold.

"Humph. What a barbaric attempt at killing youkai," a cruel, calculating voice came, making me stop in my tracks.

I knew that voice and that scent. My eyes narrowed as I turned to glare at the man I grew to loathe.

"Keh! What the hell are you doing here Sesshoumaru?" I demanded.

My brother bore no expression on his face; all covered by his icy façade. He stood there in a regal stance, looking down upon me as he stared from a distance.

"Inuyasha, what a mess you've become over the past years," he concluded after a few moments of silence.

My response was a growl. "If you're gonna insult me then get out of my sight unless you'd wanna die too!"  
He smirked in amusement. "You kill This Sesshoumaru? What an odd statement coming from a _hanyou_."

"You really think I haven't heard that by now? Why the hell do you want to bother me anyways?" I demanded in a snarl.

"You can barely fight off weak youkai. A surprise that I find you alive. I often find myself in wonder of how you even share the same noble blood of Father and I," Sesshoumaru said out loud, with a raised eyebrow of mock astonishment.

He always knew how to piss me off. Regardless of my injuries, I was not about to let anyone call me a weak hanyou and live very long. "You bastard!" I shouted, charging towards him with my claws raised to strike.

I could barely blink my eyes as he moved to lift me by my collar and glared at me with such coldness and disgust. "You fool," he growled, his eyes narrowed in annoyance as his right hand grasped my neck.

To my confusion, he looked down my body in concentration. He particularly stared at my sash for a long moment before murmuring," Hmm…it seems that you do not possess it…"

I began to stubbornly struggle against his grip. "W…what the fuck are you blabbering about, you jackass!" I spat out.

"You should stay quiet as hanyous are expected to act. Not seen nor heard," he snarled, slamming me against the tree behind us with brutal force.

"Who made you overlord of all the pains in the ass!" I demanded sarcastically even though I knew that I pushing it.

"Silence hanyou!" he commanded, his claws glowing an eerie green against my skin. I began to feel the burning of the poison.

"Fuck you!" I spat back even though I was choking to death.

He then sneered dangerously. "It seems that I am doing you and myself a favor. Killing you will be the amusing light to my day…"

"You know I'm getting tired of your speeches of killing me. Actually I'm getting tired of everyone's rubbish of hanyous and them being weak!" I shouted, despite my loss of breath. I began to struggle even more so as my temper began to rise.

"Indeed. So perhaps if you weren't born, it would save the world the trouble of dealing with you lowly creatures," he responded icily.

"Ya know what Sesshoumaru?" I asked in a bitter smirk. He gave me a blank look as his grip tightened. I ignored his response while I continued. "I can't help the fact that I was born. Though, obviously, Father wanted it or he would've killed my mother way before I existed!"

The words I used to defend myself were deaf to even my own ears, though I knew that statement to be the one to shock him. To know that at that time, the hanyou remarks wouldn't work against me. That was my life at the moment. In a sense, "to grin and bear it." I killed those weaker than me in order to prove to myself and to others that I was worthy to be acknowledged.

While he was distracted by that low blow to his pride, I pushed my feet from the trunk of the tree and made him stumble momentarily as I flipped over him and landed. He let out a small growl but regained his composure quickly.

"So who is calling whom weak here?" I smirked arrogantly.

He suddenly pierced me with one of the coldest glares I've ever seen him pull. It literally sent chills down my spine. He then turned his back from me and started to walk off.

"What? Did I wound your pride too much?" I taunted, thinking that I had the upper hand.

He stopped in mid-step, but did not turn to stare at me again. "You are not even worth getting my hands sullied over, worthless hanyou," he stated in a ruthless tone.

I stared after him in a state of shock. That was until my eye twitched again. "I'm gonna kill you bastard!" I yelled in rage, preparing to charge at his back.

His next words stopped me. "Be thankful that I even spared you this moment. Inuyasha, in due time I will kill you. Be prepared of that. Only until then will I spare time to remove your pitiful existence from this earth."

What the hell was that supposed to mean? I glared at his back until another question came to mind. "Then why the hell did you go on about killing me when you were holding me by my neck?" I demanded in a snarl.

"Your foolish ramble only proved how weak you truly are," he stated in his emotionless monologue. At those last words, he walked off into the darkness of the woods.

For once I was glad that I was alone. At least I didn't have to be in his company. At that time I never understood what he meant by me not yet being ready, but now I do. I needed to get stronger. I needed to gain the skills of a warrior. No matter how cold and emotionless that bastard was, deep down I knew some of his words to be the truth.

At this point in my life, I only knew hatred and the rare love from my mother. Besides the care I received from her, I had no one else to look after me. Many things led me down the path I was about to embark on. However, there was one thing I never imagined to happen.

The time when I met _her_…

* * *

Wow…really deep from Inuyasha's point of view. I hope you enjoyed this piece of angst as much as I enjoyed writing it for you! 

Please review and tell me your thoughts!

Until part two! Ja ne!


	2. Part 2: The Beginning of Happiness

**Disclaimer:**

NOTE: This two-shot is now a FOUR-shot because of how long the chapters have become!

Turtlequeen2: I'm back with part two! I hope you'll like this part as much or even more so than part one! This is based off of the anime episode special (147-148), "A Fateful Love Song of Before We First Met."

It IS different from it though. It's in Inuyasha's POV still and of course, I added in a few more scenes.

Thanks to: BusladyofSoCal, Lesbian-Lover, ChocolateCheezcake, and Sesshoumaru Minion!

Special thanks to Inu Youkai Wanna Be for helping me edit this chapter!

I do not own Inuyasha. Only Rumiko Takahashi does.

**WARNING:** Inuyasha/Kikyou FLUFF!

**

* * *

Part 2: The Beginning of Happiness **

A Year Later

* * *

The sun shown through the leaves of the trees. The sky was clear and blue. Another nice day in my world…_not_. 

"Where did _you_ GO?" the oni demanded, looking about itself. It was a giant grotesque creature with blue-gray hair and dark turquoise skin. Yellow horns protruded from his head and he had only one red eye.

I smirked at his growing frustration. I sat silently in my perch above him, easily hidden by the leaves.

The giant idiot had no idea where I was hiding.

"WHERE DID YOU GO, HANYOU?!" he bellowed in anger.

My eyes narrowed at his insult towards me. You'd think I'd get over it by now…

Keh! The baka had no idea that I was only a few feet away from him. I pushed off of the branch and decided to make myself known. I zipped behind him with fast speed, knowing fully well that the oni was too slow to catch me.

He looked around himself, grumbling under his breath. He finally turned around and I quickly jumped into the air above him.

I cracked my knuckles and extracted my claws. I held the clawed hand above me and smirked as he looked up to see me. "RIGHT HERE, JACKASS!" I shouted, taking an easy strike at him. The yellow lights from my "Sankon Tessou" unleashed themselves from my claws and easily sliced clear through the oni. He was instantly cut into two; each half falling on top of the other upon the ground with a loud crash. I landed on my feet in front of the corpse.

I turned and looked at the destruction I caused. I also looked down at my claws with an irritated expression on my face. Blood was dripping from the hand and I quickly shook it off. I glared at the dead creature and growled. "You fool…" I began. "No one calls me a hanyou and lives…" I finished with an annoyed grimace.

It seemed that the youkai wanted to eat me for lunch or something like that. He, like many other youkai, thought me to be an easy target because of me being a hanyou. I grew disgusted at viewing the decaying corpse and took to running into the woods once again. I decided that I would go practice my attacks more. I did anything that was possible to strengthen myself. Sometimes I would practice until I passed out from exhaustion. I was _that_ determined.

Gradually, I noticed changes. I knew that I became more cold hearted and detached from other humans and demons. I knew that with more strength, I became more dependant on my own self and my independent survival.

I guess in a sense, I tried to build a wall around my emotions and heart. I thought that being without weak emotions would make me more capable of living by myself. I never considered another companion. Hell, at this time, I didn't even know I was capable of being worthy of becoming _anyone's _comrade!

Besides the love I felt for my dear mother, I never thought that love was possible for me. I also didn't think that I would ever care for another again.

* * *

Two Days Later

* * *

The day started out normal. Well, normal for me at least. Train, hunt, train some more and occasionally kill my predators. 

As I went through the forest on this particular day, I caught the familiar scent of oni. I bounded towards where the scent grew stronger. I arrived at a clearing where I saw two giant ogres stomping around in circles. They were nearly identical to the other ogre I killed two days before; the only difference being in the different shades of their loincloths. My eyes then widened in realization. They looked alike because they _were_ related to the other oni I killed!

"WHERE ARE YOU, HANYOU?!" they bellowed. Their shouts proved my suspicions right.

I didn't think they would be too hard to kill considering how weak their sibling was. I jumped out the tree I was perched in and landed in front of them.

"I'm guessing that you bastards wanna die?" I asked cockily.

Both creatures let out barbaric growls and advanced towards me with their clawed fists bared. Since I was smaller than them, I was able to dodge the attack easily. I hopped in between the two ogres, landing punches in their faces. They let out roars of rage.

"How dare you insult us!" one of the two yelled.

Suddenly, I found myself held up by an ogre behind me. "Dammit!" I cursed as I struggled against the ogre's hold.

"This will teach you!" the other one in front of me declared. I knew his claws were headed towards my chest. He was planning to tear out my heart. I forcefully kicked the ogre holding me up, catching him off guard. The ogre behind me stumbled and I pushed off of him when the other oni was inches from my chest. Instead, his claws missed that area and sliced through my left arm.

Quickly, I leaped into a cave on the opposite side of the clearing. I knew that they had poor eyesight and the hiding spot would buy me at least enough time to make sure my arm wasn't broken. I grimaced as I held my limp arm in the cavern's darkness. The blood from the wound stained my haori sleeve and started to drip onto the hand I was holding it by.

The cave was hidden by bushes, adding to the difficulty of finding me. I knew that they would find me sooner or later. I heard them tearing up trees near me as they advanced closer.

"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE FROM US!" one of them yelled.

"WE'RE HERE TO AVENGE OUR BROTHER THAT YOU HAVE SLAIN!" the other shouted.

Keh! What the hell would you do if you were being chased by some crazed hungry animal? Let it eat you? I don't think so! It was then that I knew that they were brothers to the idiot. Stupidity must have run through that family.

Then suddenly, one of them cut apart the plant debris I was behind. "THERE HE IS!" he yelled for his brother to hear. He slammed his fist down into the dirt in an attempt to attack me. I held tight to my arm and rolled my body into the field, hardly avoiding the assault as the dirt kicked up around me.

"YOU CAN'T RUN!" the same enraged ogre shouted, quickly turning to glare at me.

I sucked in a breath and jumped up into the air. I let my limp arm hang as I used my good arm to reach over and dig my claws into the bloody wound. The crimson soaked into my claws as I shouted," THEN TAKE THIS!" I then turned in the air and fling my clawed hand at him, crying," HIJIN KESSOU!" The red blades of blood erupted from my claws and cut into the oni's only eye.

The ogre stopped moving and clutched his eye with both hands, roaring in agony. The other oni quickly jumped in front of his sibling and rushed towards me.

"CURSE YOU! YOU'RE ONLY A WEAKLING HALF-BREED!" the beast snarled. He thrust his fist into the ground, throwing up a lot of dust and dirt. I pushed off of the ground before he could hit me and did several back-flips until I landed on the top edge of a high cliff.

"WELL SORRY FOR BEING A HALF-BREED!" I yelled back, my anger finally getting the better of me. I pushed off of the rock and managed to stay in the air until I was overtop of the oni.

The creature looked up and widened his eye in shock. "NANI?!" it cried in surprise. I was able to lift both of my arms into the air and extend my claws fully.

The other oni stupidly rushed up to aid his brother in defeating me. As I landed, yellow wind blades came out of my claws. "SANKON TESSOU!" I shouted again as I finally landed on the earth. My arms were crossed, each hand emitting their own yellow blades that quickly sliced through both of their bodies at the same time. They both screamed in pain as they disintegrated.

I stayed hunched over and gripped my arm in another grimace. From using my injured arm in battle, I caused the wound to hurt even more.

"Kuso!" I growled out in irritation and pain. "And this is just from those bastard's relatives!" My eyes narrowed as a sudden, familiar thought came to mind. I needed to get stronger. I knew then that there was only so much I could to on my own. I needed power from some other source than my own.

* * *

A Week Later

* * *

A few days after that incident with the ogres, my arm healed to be as good as new. During the days that followed, I continued to push myself even harder in training. On this particular day however, I had to go into hiding. This night was the night I dreaded most. The Night of the New Moon; the night I turned into a vulnerable human. 

Though I hated being hanyou, I hated being full human at this time of my life even more so. The only reason being was that when I was alone, I had no means of self defense. If I was found, I'd usually be beaten to the brink of death. After the first few times, I learned to hide myself on these nights and knew never to tell anyone of this. Telling my ultimate weakness would mean my death and I wasn't about to die that easily.

Nearing these days, I would always get more tense. This is only because I usually rush into hiding. I hate hiding more than anything else also. It adds more evidence to the youkai's cruel proclamations of hanyous being weak.

During the day, all I did was fret upon the coming night and searched for a place to stay the night at.

Once sunset neared, I was full out running to get to a safe hiding area. I was running on an open pathway, towards the familiar forestry of trees.

Out of nowhere, came a great blast of pinkish purple light shot above the trees, following a loud crashing sound. I stopped in my tracks, my eyes widened as I murmured," What the hell was that?" to myself.

I then suddenly found myself overwhelmed by a scent I knew well. I used my haori sleeve to cover my nose and mouth from the intensity of the stench. "There's must be a battle up ahead, judging by the strong scent of youkai blood," I mused.

I leapt through trees and decided to see what the hell was going on. I finally found a perch on a tall tree. The branch was opposite of the direction the person responsible for the large number of demon slayings was standing.

When I looked down at the person, I was in shock. It was a spiritual person of some sort. What was more surprising was how this person took down every single one of the youkai on their own! As the person shot another arrow and purified the last remaining youkai, the sun sank beneath the horizon and the night began.

I could hear the human's ragged breathing and then realized how hard _she_ must have fought. I could hardly tell it was a woman because of the dirt that clung to her clothing and the strength she possessed. It was that _and_ the fact that my eyesight was growing weaker.

The first thing I noticed about her, was the strong scent of demonic blood that clung to her. I looked closer and seen that her attire was all scratched and torn. There were scratches on her cheeks and her body was covered in grime and blood.

She glanced towards the tree I was perched in. I froze up against the trunk, not wanting her to sense my presence.

Then at that moment, the _change_ started. I didn't know whether I should have been relieved or frustrated of the timing of it. My eyes widened slightly and my clawed hands gripped my hakama pants so as not to fall from the tree branch.

My body began to pulse. My dog ears began to shrivel down into human ears on the sides of my head and my silver hair began to turn black. My sense of smell and sight reduced to that of a mere human. My claws reduced to regular nails of a human man and my eyes' golden shade darkened into violet. After all of which, the change was complete.

She turned her back on the tree once more, but did not move to leave. I could still sense her presence close.

"How long do you intend to hide there?" she then demanded in a cold tone of voice. Her sudden question caught me off guard and caused me to freeze in my position. I didn't answer her.

She then turned around slowly and stared eerily at the tree I was hidden in. I gazed at her from the corner of my eye. Lighting then flashed, signifying a coming thunderstorm and illuminating her face.

A few seconds after the thunder clashed, rain began to come down. It was then she asked me," Have you also come to take the Shikon-no-Tama?"

I finally got tired of pretending to not be there. She obviously knew that I was there hiding and it was useless to pretend that I was unable to be sensed by a miko of all people. I also grew curious to the jewel she mentioned. "'Shikon-no-Tama'?" I echoed. "What the hell is this 'Shikon-no-Tama'?" I then asked.

There was a moment of silence until she replied," If you do not know, then it's just as well…" Then I saw her eyes narrow. "However," she continued," If you don't want to die then don't come near me…"

She finally turned and began walking away. I peaked out from behind the tree to look at her. I seen her pause and clutch her chest in pain. She then dropped to her knees and laid unconsciously face-down on the wet ground.

For some odd reason, I found myself jumping out of the tree and running to her body. At that time, it was probably just my curiosity getting the better of me. I hunched down beside her and looked at her. The rain spattered upon her unconscious body, washing away some of the dirt from her face. "What a miko…" I murmured quietly to myself.

"Kik…you-onee-sama!" a voice of a young girl called out from far away. It was faint, but I knew it was probably the miko's name. I froze in surprise.

"Kikyou-sama!" more voices began to call out. I then stood up and ran into the darkness of the forest. I knew being caught wouldn't have been the best thing.

I arrived at a clearing a few yards away from where that woman was. I jumped into another tree and reclined on it. It was then, that I saw another demon flying overhead of me.

It looked like that of a centipede except the centipede part of the body appeared to be cut off, judging on the bone sticking out. The upper half of the youkai had the appearance of a woman with long black hair…well , except the fact that she had more than two arms and fangs.

She writhed in the sky and hissed," It's close…it's so close! The Shikon-no-Tama…!"

I looked up at her, now more interested in her words. She continued," I need that youkai power to restore my body!" After those words, she flew away from my view.

"I see…so that's what it is…" I mused to myself. Finally! Something that could give me the power I needed to defend myself with! A smirk came to my face at that thought. "The Shikon-no-Tama, eh? Sounds interesting…"

I then remembered the miko's face. I knew that she had to have possessed it. "She was called 'Kikyou,' right?" I asked myself. I decided to investigate more into this "Jewel of Four Souls" thing more after I changed back into my hanyou form in the morning.

I decided to pay the woman a visit in the few days that followed. However, as I made this decision, I knew not of the pain and suffering this particular jewel caused to others. All I knew it to be, was a mystic piece of jewelry to help me become feared and respected by all.

* * *

Four Days Later

* * *

I didn't camp too far from the sight where I had seen that miko at. I knew she would be near, considering that the smell of humans and youkai were all around the area. 

Sure enough, I soon spotted her in a field in the middle of the clearing. Her back was facing me, but I could tell that she sensed my presence by the way her steps ceased.

"Oi, Kikyou!" I yelled, getting her attention.

She slowly turned towards me, a cold look in her eyes, but a questionable expression on her face.

"So this 'Shikon-no-Tama' is this powerful gem that can increase a youkai's power, right?" I asked in a haughty smirk.

"That voice…" she only murmured, while looking at me. "I remember hearing it before…" She then gave me an annoyed stare as she said," So you're that person who ran and hid from me that night…"

I grew annoyed at her slow pace. I wasn't here to make chitchat! I was here to take the damn jewel! "Shut up! Just hand over the Shikon-no-Tama!" I commanded in a growl. I then ran towards her, my claws bared, expecting to easily retrieve the precious stone.

However, two arrows sailed towards me before I could even make sense of what happened. "NANI!" I exclaimed in alarm as the arrows pinned me to the tree I was standing in front of. Each arrow pierced me in each haori sleeve and left my feet dangling a few inches off of the ground. I struggled stubbornly against the bind, but found it was too hard to get down from. I snarled in irritation. This really wounded what little pride I had of myself.

The miko's bow string still vibrated as she gave me a bored stare. "I see..." she began. "I had a feeling that your aura was different than other youkai." Her next words pierced me harder than the arrows themselves. "You're a _hanyou, _aren't you?"

My growl only intensified at that remark. She only continued talking as if I gave not a care in the world.

"If you used the Shikon-no-Tama, you could become a full youkai. So you think that doing such a thing will give you a right standing in the world, _hanyou_? Do you really believe that's true strength?" she demanded.

I still continued to resist the holds as I replied," Shut up! I'll become a powerful demon! I've already made up my mind!" I then opted to taunt her. "And when that happens," I vowed," You'll be my first victim. I promise you that much!"

She flashed an amused smirk at my words, before turning her back on me. "I will purify the Shikon Jewel. So long as I keep watch over it, you will never be able to do such a thing."

This bitch was taunting me! My eye twitched in evident rage. "Don't make me laugh! You reek of demon blood!"

She continued to walk away with no reaction to my words.

"What's the matter, _Kikyou_? Did I hurt your feelings too badly?" I jeered, not able to help myself and keep my mouth shut.

She then stopped in her tracks and turned her head only enough to pierce me with a glare. "If you wish to live, do not come near me! I will not give you a third warning!" she stated. Kikyou then turned her back on me and started to walk off again.

For some reason, the bitch could get under my skin so easily. It made me even more uneasy. "Keh! I'm not giving up!" I yelled. My lips twitched into that of a cruel sneer. "If you run, I will find you again! I'll pick up your sickening stench soon enough!"

"'Stench,' huh?" she murmured in a near whisper, continuing to walk away. She probably didn't think I heard, but I did. I really didn't give a damn at the time. As far as I was concerned, I still had to get myself down from the tree.

However, once she left, I felt the hold of the arrows lessen. It was as if her powers leaked into her arrows and held me to her advantage when she was near. Though, once she was gone, the arrows felt as mere sticks. Was that really true or was it that I just didn't wanna break out of the hold in front of her?

With one shrug of my shoulder, I flung the arrow out of my left haori sleeve. I then used that free hand to remove the other arrow, allowing me to land on my feet as I touched the ground.

At the time, I cursed Kikyou. Damn the stupid wench! How dare she even think that she could understand what I've been through? She added insult to injury when she said that my desire wouldn't give me true strength. What would she have known? I really didn't even know what she meant either. I just knew that whatever extra power I needed would have been granted by that jewel.

With an annoyed grunt, I bounded deeper into the forest surrounding the area. I would stay the night there. There was no way I was giving up that easily. So long as the bitch had the jewel, I would be around to try and take it!

* * *

Two Days Later

* * *

The day before was uneventful. She pinned my up by three arrows that time. 

I woke up the next morning, determined once more, to take the jewel. That wench wasn't gonna make a fool out of me again!

I easily caught her scent and followed her. Beside her was a younger kid. I assumed that it was Kikyou's younger sister, judging by the honorifics they used. I also remembered that it was the same whelp that ran to Kikyou's aid when I first seen her on that rainy night.

She wore a simple orange kimono with green dots embedded into the cloth. Her obi was a matching shade of dark green. She had the same color brown eyes, black hair, and hairstyle of her elder sister.

Kikyou had a sense of elegant beauty about her. At the time, I really didn't give a damn about how nice she appeared. As far as I was concerned, she was just a woman who carried the stench of blood and dead youkai.

The miko wore a white haori and a pair of red hakama. A red string hung loosely around her neck. She wore simple zouri on her feet. Her quiver of arrows were always strapped to her back as she walked ever so calmly. Her hand was always wrapped around her brown bow.

She had such intense brown eyes. Her black hair was pulled back by only a white sash, some loose strands hanging around her ears. Though Kikyou's face portrayed much coldness, her eyes revealed another emotion: sadness.

I noticed this even as I gazed upon her from the trees that day. Though, this was something I now knew, I pushed it back into the farthest depths of my mind. All I needed was the jewel. No woman would stop me, no matter how strong or beautiful she appeared.

On this day, the pair traveled to the outskirts of their village. Kikyou was planning to kill more youkai.

I zipped in between trees as they went, trying my best to keep my presence unknown. However, I already could tell that Kikyou knew I was there watching her, based on the way she would occasionally stop and glance around at the trees.

She finally stopped in front of a large sized pond.

Kikyou turned to her sister and quickly commanded," Kaede, take cover behind the trees."

As soon as the words left her mouth, the sky began to darken. Her sister, Kaede, did as her sister ordered, obviously having high respect for Kikyou and fearing for her life.

The water in the pond began to move about erratically. My eyebrow raised as I sensed the aura of a demon. This was gonna be interesting…I wanted to see more of how the miko fought. I decided to sit back and watch the miko at her best.

The water began rising as a large black catfish youkai erupted from the lake. It headed straight towards Kikyou, but the woman already had her arrow drawn, quickly pulling back on the string and firing it once the youkai was inches from her. The demon instantly disintegrated and the sky brightened up again. The water settled back to normal. She was very strong indeed.

She lowered her bow and then stared at her sister. "It's done," Kikyou murmured calmly.

Her sister ran towards Kikyou with a relieved look on her face, replying," Kikyou-onee-sama!"

Kikyou looked down at the girl and asked," Shall we return home, Kaede?" in a warm tone of voice.

"Hai!" Kaede replied.

It was at this time that I decided to reveal myself. I had enough of their sappy moment. It was wasting my time! I jumped from my perch in my tree and a cocky smirk formed on my lips as I landed a few feet away from them.

Kikyou instantly sensed my presence and gave me an annoyed stare. "You!" she only declared.

I held up my right arm and cracked my knuckles in anticipation. "Kikyou!" I yelled. "Give me the Shikon-no-Tama!"

The young girl ran behind her sister for protection from me. Like I gave much of a damn! "You decided to show yourself again, huh?" Kikyou only replied. Her calm tone irritated me more than anything. You would think that she would at least show surprise towards seeing me again!

My eyes narrowed. "I told you that I wasn't giving up! Today is the day I'm ending this!" I cried. I then looked at the both of them. "Hurry, and send that kid running!" I ordered.

Kikyou looked down at her sister and said," Kaede, please stay back," as if following my orders.

Kaede nodded and ran behind the trees once more. Knowing that her sister was safe, the wench turned back towards me with a calculated gaze.

_

* * *

The miko who was forced to walk the path of carnage. _

* * *

This sudden thought came to mind as I looked at her. Kikyou always had enemies. So long as she cared for that jewel, she always had to fight. For some odd reason, I felt a tinge of some weird emotion. Was it remorse? If it was, did I feel this only because I was another one of those youkai she had to fight off? 

I mentally cursed myself. No! I would _not_ succumb to this witch's spells!

I hunched down into an attack stance and Kikyou knocked an arrow onto her bow.

"I have something I have to ask of you," she stated, catching me off guard. "On that night, why did you let me live?" she demanded. "At that time, I would have been easy to slay."

I pondered over that question for a minute. She was right. I could have killed her, but then the human side of me would have made me suffer guilt. I thought that would have been low for me to do. To kill one that was weaker than me. I did not hesitate with my answer. "Keh! You think I'm the type of person who would kill an unconscious human? If I'm to take the Shikon Jewel, I'm taking it with a fight!"

Kikyou laughed in amusement. It was the first time she ever laughed in front of me. Though, her chuckle only frustrated me. "I see…" she murmured.

"What the hell's so funny!" I demanded in irritation.

Her arrow was still aimed at me, the string pulled back to its fullest. "I have one last question for you. _Hanyou_, what is your name? I'm sure you have a name, unless it really _is_ just 'hanyou.'"

"Stop calling me 'hanyou' over and over!" I declared, my anger rising.

She gave no reaction to my rage and only continued more sternly," Then tell me your name! Once I know it, I will not have a reason to call you 'hanyou' any longer."

I calmed slightly. She wanted to know my name? No other human or youkai bothered to ever ask me that! I hesitated, but ultimately replied," It's Inuyasha," in a steady voice.

Her eyes narrowed. "'Inuyasha,' huh? I'll keep that in mind."

My own name falling from her lips was almost foreign to my ears the first time I heard it. However, I pushed back my feelings as I charged towards her. "Prepare yourself, Kikyou!" I warned.

She kept her calm stature as she rapidly released five arrows. Once again, I found myself pinned to the tree I was standing in front of. Damn, I really needed to stop running in front of trees when being around her!

This time, two arrows pierced each half of my hakama, two went through my left haori sleeve, and one through my right sleeve. She had another arrow knocked into her bow for threatening purposes.

I couldn't even move, there were so many arrows through my clothes. Damn her!

She finally lowered her bow and replaced the arrow into her quiver. She once more, turned her back and began to walk away.

I was getting fed up with the replay of events. "Wait a second, you wench! Why don't you ever kill me!" I demanded.

She stopped in her tracks and whirled around to face me once she was a good distance away. "Don't come back here again. You are a waste of my arrows!" she declared, not answering my question.

For some reason I found myself dumbfounded. I didn't even bother to remove the arrows as I pondered her words.

_

* * *

"Then tell me your name! Once I know it, I will not have a reason to call you 'hanyou' any longer." _

* * *

At this time, I only pondered on whether or not she was trying to get me to lower my guard. Though, the more I thought about this, the more curious I become about her. I wanted to know more about the miko. 

As I freed myself from her arrows and landed on the ground, I finally decided against challenging her outright. It wasn't getting me anywhere. It was only wasting my time. The only thing I could do was prevent other weak demons from taking the jewel so I would be the only one to claim it when the time came.

* * *

A few weeks passed and I didn't have many interactions with the woman. I merely watched her from afar and slain weak youkai that dared to come near the village. So in a sense, I guess I was helping Kikyou do less fighting. 

At times, I'd go to the waterfalls and see Kikyou there bathing. Keh! It wasn't as if I wanted to see her unclothed, but I was more curious to know why she was doing such a thing. She kept her under kimono on as she splashed cold water onto herself. From some villagers, I heard that it was some sacred rite to keep herself pure. It seemed like that ever since she asked me my name and saw me, she was inclined to bathe every morning.

Every week, I'd spend the nights closer towards Kikyou's village. It didn't seem like the humans noticed nor minded. So long as their miko was safe, they didn't give much of a care.

One day, Kaede was gathering herbs in some vacant field and I just happened to be around. It was at that time that the centipede woman from before, decided to attack.

"Shikon-no-Tama!" the youkai shouted, the half of her body still having been lopped off. She dove towards the kid.

Kikyou's sister took off running, the youkai was gaining on her. "I'll take you as a hostage and then take the Jewel from the miko in exchange!" she laughed.

"Help me!" Kaede shouted to no one in particular.

I finally had enough. Like I'd even give that crazy bitch a chance at taking the Jewel! I bounded towards the trees and jumped up, my claws bared.

"Get down, brat!" I shouted. Kaede looked up at me in shock as if expecting me to be the last person on her mind that would save her.

I was inches above the girl, unleashing my "Sankon Tessou" attack on the centipede demon. I managed a flip above the demon as I completely sliced through it. I landed on the ground and then smirked at the corpse.

"Keh! You think that I'd let some low-life scum like you, take the Shikon-no-Tama without a fight!" I exclaimed in a taunt.

"Uh…" came the stutter of the girl's voice.

I turned to her with a confused expression on my face. "What?" I asked.

"Well, um…thank you for saving me…" she replied nervously.

I honestly didn't know if I wanted to save the brat or if I was just trying to keep the Shikon Jewel from the youkai's hands. If it WAS to save her, then was that because I wanted to gain Kikyou's trust? I mentally rolled my eyes at that. Like I was capable of gaining the trust of anyone like _her_.

"Don't think I was trying to save you," I quickly retorted. "I just don't want anyone else to get to the Shikon-no-Tama." Even as I said these words, I felt as if I was lying to her and myself.

* * *

A Few Days Later

* * *

I was still pondering about what happened the few days ago when I killed the centipede woman. 

I then spotted Kikyou sitting upon a grassy hill, overlooking the village below. I found a spot on a tree branch near her. Thick leaves blocked her from seeing me. For some reason I didn't wanna provoke her outright. I only stared at her in silence, watching the way the wind slightly stirred her hair and haori. These were one of the rare moments that I thought of her being _beautiful. _

For once, she wielded no bow nor had a quiver of arrows set on her back. They were lain to the side of her at rest. Her face remained calm as she stared down at her village. Suddenly, her voice broke me out of my thoughts. "Inuyasha? You're there, are you not? Why don't you come out?" she asked gently.

I peaked my head out from behind the cluster of leaves, mentally cursing my luck. I should have known that she sensed me. I jumped down from the tree and landed a few feet away from her. I sat on my hunches and gave her an irritated glare.

She didn't even look back at me as she went on," This is the first time I've ever talked to you in this little proximity."

"So, what of it? It's not like it's a joyous occasion…" I replied in sarcasm.

"I heard that you saved my sister, Kaede," she said, turning to stare at me.

"Keh! That's all you wanted to say?" I grumbled, turning my head away from her.

"You have my thanks as well," she added.

"Sure doesn't seem like you're grateful…" I retorted, feeling uneasy from her warm tone directed towards me.

There was an awkward silence that fell over the both of us as the wind blew by. Kikyou suddenly turned to me again. "Inuyasha, how do you see me? Do I appear human?" she pondered in a sad tone.

I was taken aback by that question. "Eh? What the hell are you going on about now?" I demanded.

She turned her gaze back towards the village before she continued. "I cannot show any weakness to anyone. I can never fail in my duties. The youkai would take advantage of my frailty. I _am_ human and yet I _cannot live like _a human."

I stared at her in a near state of shock. She couldn't live life as a human? What was that supposed to mean?

She continued," You and I are the same in that aspect. You being a half-breed. That is why I cannot bring myself to kill you."

I couldn't take much of her words. They hit me hard. She couldn't kill me because she understood my pain?

I covered up my surprised by standing up and retorting," What? So you're just here to complain about your life? That's not like you." I began to walk a few feet away from her, but turned back, feeling her eyes on me.

I will never forget the face she made that day. She gave me a sad smile. It was one of warmth and yet one of sorrow at the same time. Her brown eyes glimmered up at me, showing such exposed pain and loneliness. "I suppose you're right. It isn't like me at all," she agreed.

I seen her begin to rise, grabbing onto her weaponry. For the first time in my life, I felt _guilty_. Her eyes reminded me of my mother's--so tragic. My remarks must have only made her feel worse. I didn't like the feeling of this newfound emotion.

"Inuyasha," she called.

"W…what is it?" I asked, the gruffness in my voice gone. It was as if I saw Kikyou in a different light.

"No…it's nothing," she hesitated, turning and beginning to walk away.

_

* * *

Kikyou. _

* * *

I heard her name echo throughout my subconscious. 

I couldn't stand it anymore. "Kikyou!" I yelled. She stopped walking. "Do you think you could come here again tomorrow?" I asked before I could stop myself.

She turned around and looked at me with a confused expression.

I felt blood rush to my cheeks and looked away from her before she could catch it. "I…have something to give you…" I murmured. I couldn't believe that I was actually embarrassed! When the hell have I been this flustered in my life before?

"Something you want to give me?" she echoed in question. She smiled more happily this time. "That's too easy. I think I have something to give to you also…" she replied.

A hopeful _smile_ crossed my face. "The Shikon-no-Tama!" I exclaimed.

She gave a slight laugh and responded," Of course, I didn't mean that."

I looked away from her and snorted," Humph. It's worth the thought!"

I watched her walk away and heaved a sigh. What the hell came over me? Was it that I was starting to grow fond of the woman? I crossed my arms and scowled.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" I muttered to myself. I felt so perplexed.

* * *

Over the night, I didn't get any sleep. I was too busy thinking about Kikyou and her _gift._ What the hell did she wanna give me anyways? 

I already decided on what I wanted to give her. I ran to the vacant field at sunrise and awaited her arrival.

After a time, she walked up the hill with no weapons with her. Was she beginning to trust me?

"Oi, Kikyou!" I called.

She looked up at me in a smile. I only managed a small smirk as she approached me.

I held out my hand to her. Placed on my palm was the rouge that my mother used at one time. I knew my mother would have wanted for me to give it to someone. The shell casing had a simple red string tied at the top. I thought it to be special to me, but I didn't really know what to expect from her.

"This is…?" Kikyou asked with a hopeful smile, her eyes brightening in the slightest bit. For some odd reason, I felt pleased that I could make her happy.

"I've been keeping hold of it, but it really has no use for me. I want you to have it," I explained.

She nodded and took the case into her left hand and gently opened the lid of the shell to reveal the red rouge.

"That and my Fire-Rat Haori are the only things my mother left me," I added.

She looked up at me. "You're mother was a human, wasn't she?" she asked.

"Well, yeah…" I trailed off hesitantly.

"You want to give me this special thing?" she pondered.

"I don't mind," I assured her. "This haori is useful enough for me."

Suddenly, she walked towards me and took a hold of my left haori sleeve. I looked at her in confusion. Her eyes glimmered with guilt.

"Please forgive me, Inuyasha. Without knowing such a thing, I pierced through it so many times…" she murmured.

"Keh! Don't worry about such a small thing like that!" I declared, trying to make her feel better. I knew that I would also feel bad if she was upset. I decided to change the subject by asking," So, what is the thing you wanted to give me?"

I saw her let go of my sleeve and reach into her own. She made a hesitant grab for the item, but then looked up at me with a remorseful smile. "Ah, accept my apologies. It seems that I have forgotten to bring it."

"What's with that? Damn…" I muttered. "I was all worked up for it too…" I then admitted.

I noticed her still staring at the rouge with a grin on her face. She looked up at me and asked," Are you sure that it's still alright for me to have?"

I gave her a small smile. "Sure!" I said.

I never figured out what the gift was, but I didn't really care either. I was just happy that Kikyou didn't look so lonely anymore.

* * *

In the day following, we met again at the same place. I don't know what it was about this place, but it was just somewhere where we could meet in private. 

"Inuyasha!" Kikyou called out once she spotted me.

When I standing in front of her, I noticed something peculiar about her, but couldn't quite figure it out at the moment.

"Have you not noticed that we have grown closer?" she asked, sitting herself down on the grass.

I sat down beside her and gave her a confused look. "What is that supposed to mean?" I demanded.

She let out a small laugh in amusement. "Well, for instance…you have yet to come for the jewel…" she pointed out.

I looked away so as to hide my embarrassment. She caught on fast. "Keh! You're slower than I thought, Kikyou! You just noticed that now?" I huffed, crossing my arms while still not facing in her direction.

She only gave another chuckle. It made me smile on the inside, knowing that I was the cause of her happiness. "No, I'm just stating a fact since you appeared not to understand what I meant…"

"Keh!" I only sufficed. "I'm only preventing other youkai from taking the jewel!" I then added," Is that the only thing you called me up here to talk about? It's wasting my time!" It irritated me on how she should state such a foolish notion even though she already knew how I felt beforehand. It was like she wanted me to say it out loud just to make sure that she wasn't dreaming.

Kikyou only laughed. "Of course not!" A moment of silence settled between us until she asked," Why don't you look at me, Inuyasha? Is there something wrong with my appearance?"

I heaved a sigh, not wanting to tell her that I was too flustered to even stare at her in the face. I held my breath and turned around to look at her.

My expression must of still been in that of frustration because she raised her eyebrow and asked," Is something bothering you?"

I quickly shook my head as if to rip myself of the scowl. My eyes softened in the slightest bit. "Nothing's wrong…" I replied, my tone still rough.

A smile appeared on her face again. That's when I noticed it.

The darker crimson coloring of her lips.

My eyes widened slightly before I could myself. I mentally growled for showing her frailty.

"Kikyou…" I trailed off, my voice sounding oddly raspy.

"What is it, Inuyasha?" she questioned, not knowing what I was surprised about.

"Y…you're wearing the rouge…" I stuttered out.

She placed a hand over her lips and giggled mischievously. "What? Don't you like it on me? I thought that I would try it since you gave it to me…It would be such a shame to let such beautiful rouge go to waste…"

I felt my throat tighten. "Yo--you're beautiful…" I gasped before I could prevent it from escaping my mouth. Honestly, I already thought her to be pretty, but the rouge only made it more obvious. But I wasn't about to admit _that_!

She took her hand away and nearly grinned from the comment.

I could also see another emotion flash across her face: a look of embarrassment. Her cheeks tinted a light red. I smirked at this new development. "So the great Kikyou actually gets embarrassed!" I taunted, almost laughing myself.

"Humph," she remarked, the smile still lingering on her face. "I can't help it that I've never received such a generous comment from a man that means it from his heart and didn't say it just to flatter me."

Now it was my turn to feel flustered yet again. This time I couldn't turn around.

"From the looks of it, it seems like it's the first time you've ever given that sort of comment to a woman…" she observed.

"Keh! So what of it!" I demanded a slight growl, trying my hardest to fight down the crimson that rose to my cheeks.

To my astonishment, she began to lean closer towards me. What got me even more shocked was the fact that I didn't even scoot back. In fact, I tilted forward in her direction. Our lips were inches from touching when…

"Kikyou-sama!" many voices began to call out, causing us to forcefully pull away from each other.

I let out a slight snarl in aggravation. Damn those villagers and their bad timing! We were so close--!

My eyes widened and I instantly stopped myself from completing that thought. What the hell _were _we about to do?!

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha. It seems like they need my assistance once more…" she apologized to me. She stood up after grabbing the weapons that laid at her side.

I got up with her. "Keh! It's nothing! Just go!" I growled, biting out my words more harsher than I intended them to be. I was irritated at myself for succumbing to her advances so easily. I was also pissed at the fact that those bastards decided to ruin whatever moment me and Kikyou were about to have. Not to mention that I was still confused about my feelings! You could just imagine how pissed I was at the moment!

Hurt flicked across her brown eyes as she gave me a stern nod. "Sayonara," she said, turning her back on me before I could reply.

This was the second time I felt guilt for causing Kikyou sorrow. Before she started to walk down the hill that went into the village, I called out," Wait! Kikyou!"

She didn't move, silently telling me that I had her attention.

"Uh…I didn't mean to say that….um…cruelly…" I stuttered out.

She turned to me and flashed a small smile. "I understand," was all she said before walking off once more.

* * *

"_I understand." _

* * *

Who knew that that simple phrase could mean so much? When she said that, it seemed like it meant that she understood everything I stood for. She understood me on the most genuine levels of my being. Yes, I'm aware I'm thinking deeply, but it's something I can't help when I explain this! 

I looked down the path Kikyou took and felt confusion well up within me once more.

Were we about to _kiss_? If the answer was "yes," then would we have done it if it wasn't for the interruption?

The more I turned this over in my mind, the more I was aware that I was falling. I was beginning to _love _Kikyou…

* * *

One and a half months later

* * *

A breezed kicked up around the village, knocking leaves off of the trees. The sun was setting as children laughed below me. 

I was in a tree, watching over Kikyou while she played with the village kids.

Usually, when Kikyou wasn't around, I was either killing weak youkai that came near the village or resting in a tree. My favorite place was the Goshinboku because it was especially tall. That lowered the possibility of people bothering me. However, this time, I was sitting on a branch that was lower than the usual perches I would take. I guess it was so that I would be closer to the woman I protected.

"So, children, what would you like to play next?" Kikyou asked the brats as they clung to her haori sleeves.

"Hmm…there's so many games to choose from…" one of the kids murmured.

Kikyou then turned her gaze up in my direction and smiled. "Inuyasha!" she called. "Don't just sit there! Why don't you come join us!"

I huffed, crossing my arms and turned away from her stare. "Keh! D-don't be stupid!" I snorted out, trying my hardest not to blush. I had no clue why I felt embarrassed. It was probably based on the fact that there were children there and I didn't want to socialize myself with the other humans in the village. It reminded me too much of the village I used to live in when I was their age.

"Let's put our hands together!" one of the girls shouted, pulling her away from the tree I was sitting in.

"Let's pick flowers!" another declared.

They tugged her in every which direction and she enjoyed it, laughing along with them. It was a sight that was rare to see. At least when she wasn't talking to me.

This made me realize, I was beginning to lose some of the coldness that was once surrounding my heart, but I still harbored feelings of suffering that I never bothered to share with Kikyou.

At this time of my life, I never felt happier. Kikyou was someone I could admit that I cherished. However, I was wrong when I thought that the peace would last forever…

* * *

A/N: I hope that you all will forgive me for such a long wait! I didn't forget! See! I hope this extremely long length makes up for it! (long, for me at least…) -bows- 

Reminder: This isn't the end! This is now a four-shot, remember!

****

Translations:

Nani - What?! (as in an exclamation)

Kuso - Shit/Dammit

Shikon-no-tama - Shikon Jewel

Onee-sama - A honorific used when addressing someone as "sister" with the utmost respect

Oi - Hey!

Hai - Yes or okay (as in, "Yes, I'll do what you asked.")

Please review and tell me your opinions!

Ja ne!


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